Staff

Betsy Peabody, Founder and Executive Director
Prior to founding PSRF in 1997, Betsy worked for the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, King County, the Seattle Aquarium and local nonprofits. She is currently President of the Pacific Shellfish Institute, a research organization developing and disseminating scientific and technical information to foster sustainable shellfish resources and a healthy marine environment. She also served as Vice Chair of the Bainbridge Island Harbor Commission until 2002. Betsy has a B.A. in English from Stanford University.

 

betsy@restorationfund.org 206.780.6947
 
Morgan Rohrbach, Farm Advisor
Morgan has studied her way down the marine food chain from Right Whales to Sea Turtles to bivalves of the Pacific Northwest, the phytoplankton they survive on and the toxins and pollutants that affect them. Prior to her work at PSRF, she worked as a toxicologist with the Washington State Department of Ecology. She is a founding member of the Bainbridge Island Community Shellfish Farm whose aim is to get residents actively involved in identifying and eliminating pollution sources within their watershed.

morgan@restorationfund.org 206.780-6947
 
Denise Brown, Bookkeeper
Denise joined PSRF in July 2007 as a bookkeeper, having performed similar services for a local small business operation and another nonprofit. Before moving to the Northwest 10 years ago, she was in pursuit of a second career accounting degree at Penn State University. She also studied Environmental Resources Management at PSU, and managed a popular Center City Philadelphia restaurant for eight years. Actively involved in volunteer programs, she coordinates and assists with Adopt-A-Road, the AARP TaxAide program on Bainbridge Island, and participates each month in the local meal preparation for those in need.

 

denise@restorationfund.org 206.780.6947
 
Brian Allen, Ecologist
Brian Allen, PSRF’s in-house ecologist, is interested in all things marine – both as a scientist and a forager. After growing up in Everett, Brian wended his way to the Virgin Islands where he began to spend a lot of time underwater. Upon his return to the Northwest, Brian completed a BS in 1996 at the Huxley College for Environmental Studies at Western Washington University where he studied marine ecology. He has been fortunate to work with many interesting invertebrate species and communities including aquatic insects, sea urchins, abalone, and various bivalves both above and below the tide, and up and down the west coast. Community ecology has been a central theme. Before joining the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, Brian’s work concerned applied science or commercial fisheries.

 

brian@restorationfund.org 360.280.7410
   
Josh Bouma, Project Manager

Josh grew tired of culturing shellfish he couldn’t eat.  He joins PSRF after four years as a shellfish biologist and diver with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife where he managed a small hatchery growing the threatened pinto abalone for restoration and research projects.  Originally a northwest native, Josh soaked up the sun while completing a B.S. in biology at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, then delayed reality for several years ranching goats, farming sheep and guiding dive trips in the San Juan Islands before finally returning home to complete a M.S. in Aquatic & Fishery Sciences from the University of Washington.  Beyond diving and eating seafood, Josh also enjoys backpacking, mountain biking, stand-up paddleboarding, and bocci.

josh@restorationfund.org 206.780.6947
   
Nate Wight, Hatchery and Research Technician

Nate graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in Aquatic and Fishery Science and Biology in 2005. For 5 years he worked at the University of Washington in a shellfish pathology lab conducting research that related to aquaculture and genetics. In 2010 Nate joined PSRF and Taylor Shellfish as a researcher and native species culturist.  At the Taylor Shellfish hatcheries in the beautiful towns of Quilcene and Pt Gamble, Nate works on hatchery propagation of native species for restoration projects related to some of the Puget Sound’s threatened species including Olympia oysters, Pinto abalone and Bull kelp. When not growing olys, kelp or abs Nate can be found salmon fishing somewhere on Puget Sound.

 

natewight1@gmail.com  206.214.6580
   
Wendy Welch, Special Events

Wendy Welch brings over 20 years of fundraising and development experience to PSRF. A Bainbridge Island resident and Northwest native, Wendy holds business and marketing degrees from the University of Washington. She has worked at local and national levels for the Easter Seal Society of Washington and the Arthritis Foundation and she has coordinated the Bainbridge in Bloom Garden Tour for 10 years. She is an avid skier, hiker and general outdoor enthusiast.

 

wendy@restorationfund.org  206.780.6947
 
Geoff Menzies

Photo courtesy Jack Kintner		 Geoff has managed the Drayton Harbor Community Oyster Farm since 2001. A former grower whose Drayton Harbor oyster farm was shut down as a result of declining water quality, Geoff has served as Chairman of the Drayton Harbor Shellfish Protection District Advisory Committee since its inception. He has been involved in shellfish restoration efforts in Drayton Harbor since 1990, beginning with the initial Drayton Harbor Watershed Planning process conducted under WAC 400-12. He also serves on the Whatcom County Planning Commission, City of Blaine’s Citizens Wastewater Advisory Committee and the Whatcom County Onsite Septic System Subcommittee.

 

Geoff embodies everything it takes to preserve healthy shellfish growing areas – he loves the harbor, applies boundless energy to its protection and enjoys every minute he spends there. Like all growers, Geoff believes, in his heart, that it is the best, most productive place on earth – well worth the herculean efforts required to maintain clean water amid growing population pressures.
 
Mark Fischer
Mark has managed the Henderson Inlet Community Shellfish Farm since 2004. He works full time now for the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs managing the Veterans Conservation Corps. Mark holds Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Chemistry and a Masters in Behavioral Science.
 
Dr. Jonathan Davis
Joth Davis is an integral member of the PSRF project team. He serves as Scientific Lead on native oyster enhancement efforts in Liberty Bay; spearheads the new abalone hatchery in Port Gamble where juvenile pinto abalone are being reared to help with recovery efforts; and collaborates with PSRF on a geoduck research project and an economic study to better quantify the costs and benefits of shellfish restoration in Puget Sound. On top of all that, Joth directs Research & Development for the Taylor Shellfish Hatchery, operates a shellfish farm and consulting firm, and is an Affiliate Assistant Professor at UW. He holds a Ph.D. in Fisheries from UW and a M.E.S. in Environmental Studies from Yale University.